Due to the seemingly endless remastering/repackaging/barrel scraping
of the late guitarists' back catalogue, it only made sense that
eventually Experience Hendrix would get around to reissuing the much
sought-after mono mixes of Jimi Hendrix' debut LP, "Are You
Experienced?". After all, a high-quality vinyl mono edition of his
second LP, "Axis: Bold As Love" has been available for well over a
decade (though the now out-of-print, it too has been reissued during
this campaign). The reason it took so long, according to various
internet sources, was that the mono masters of the UK (and, apparently,
the US edition) were missing. Having to use a needle-drop (a
high-quality transfer from a mint-condition LP) wouldn't have seemed out
of the question for EH, given the quality of some of the outtakes that
seem to never run out anytime interest in Hendrix seems to wane even
slightly.
For many mono-heads, bootleg needle-drops have been the
only source for hearing the UK and US versions of Hendrix' first LP -
we'll concentrate here on the UK version as mentioned in the title. A
French pressing on the Barclay label is of particular sonic excellence.
The story is the French record company was given the UK mono master and
either ignored EQ instructions or simply took it upon themselves to add
extra bass to the cut to vinyl, resulting in a better overall sound.
For
those unaware, when Hendrix was cutting the tracks that made up "Are
You Experienced", he was essentially living hand-to-mouth. Although
already a star among London's then-rock elite, the general public hadn't
caught up yet. Money was scarce for recordings, thanks to the owners of
his UK record company Track, Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, having to
keep up with the outrageously spiraling debt of their management charges
The Who; as well, Hendrix' manager Chas Chandler had recently left his
prime source of income the Animals. Sessions were scattered across
various studios when they could snatch the time, at Olympic, IBC and
possibly others, with most mixing being done by the engineers on staff.
This resulted in a rather disjointed sound that wasn't really properly
unified when it came to the final mastering mix. Now, as for that
"missing" master, eitherEH were waiting for it to turn up or until they
felt demand was sufficient, because according to the liner notes, noted
mastering engineer Bernie Grundman transferred these original mono
mixes "from the original master tapes". The one strange thing is the US
mono reissue of both "AYE" and "Axis" featured a sticker on the
shrink-wrap to that effect, noticeably absent from the UK version
discussed here. Either way, at an average price of about $20, you'll get
what you pay for.
TRACK-BY-TRACK ANALYSIS:
Note:
As was usually the case in the 60s, the mono versions differ from the
somewhat slight to as far as alternate takes in some cases to their more
commonly known stereo counterparts. The most glaring deviations will be
highlighted alongside sound notes in general.
"Foxy Lady": The mix here is muddy, but not unbearable. It's also missing the "Here I come, baby" just before the coda.
"Manic
Depression": This is the reason to buy a mono mix of this album - it
comes full force out of the speaker(s) like an out-of-control
locomotive, exactly what the author was trying to convey musically and
lyrically. It's also thankfully free of the pointless fade-in-and-outs
of the stereo version. There's also a brief snatch of reverb on Jimi's
vocals at the beginning of the third verse, and possibly a couple of
extra bars toward the finale.
"Red House": The word is that
Hendrix was very upset that this was left off the American version of
the album, and you'll probably agree. Potentially an alternate take, but
definitely an alternate vocal track from the version on "Smash Hits",
the sound is extremely clear until a very bizarre EQ shift right at the
end, possibly an end-piece edit. Also a very welcome piece of studio
chat at the end signalling both sides of the recording booth glass were
pleased with the result.
"Can You See Me": Free from the
ridiculously pointless panning of the stereo version, another sadly
muddy mix, but an alternate vocal, double-tracked this time. This song
deserved much better.
"Love Or Confusion": The drums suffer here,
sounding rather muffled, but the lead guitar is positively crystalline
with a wonderfully defined bass guitar.
"I Don't Live Today":
Overall better clarity, undermined only slightly by some crackling at
the end, either some red-lining on the EQ or possible tape degradation.
Also a prime example of stereo not cornering the market on psychedelic
sound - three-dimensional with just one channel is no mean feat.
"May This Be Love": Side two kicks off with unbelievably clear guitar and a single-tracked dry vocal.
"Fire":
Nice reverb on the drums (possibly natural echo wisely left as is), but
a very strange shift in EQ at the modulation point near the end of the
song, similar to "Red House" - possibly another poor quality edit piece
that no one bothered fixing at the mastering stage.
"Third Stone
From The Sun": Nice sound all around - clear guitar, defined bass and
fantastic miking on the cymbals. There's occasional red-lining on the
vocals.
"Remember": Very clear again, almost undermined by some high-treble interference.
"Are
You Experienced": A little muddy off the top (edit piece again the most
likely candidate), but great vocal, bass and drum sound and
equalization.
You can't argue with 200 gram vinyl, and the cover's
a nice thick cardboard with a heavy-stock inner sleeve. The record
flops around in the cover a bit, so handle with care. The record labels
are a bit of a let-down, psychedelically-generic mock-ups of the
American album cover where repros of the Track label original would've
sufficed. However, if it was a cost-cutting move to keep the price down,
it seems a fair trade. So, buyer beware - don't go in expecting
superior sound when the source itself wasn't the greatest to begin with,
and comfort yourself with the fact you didn't spend upwards of $500 on a
Track A1/B1 original to get a relatively similar "experience".
